Thematics Asset Management Acquires 19,000 Shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL)

Thematics Asset Management lifted its holdings in shares of Rollins, Inc. (NYSE:ROL) by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 565,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,000 shares during the quarter. Rollins accounts for approximately 1.1% of Thematics Asset Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. Thematics Asset Management owned about 0.12% of Rollins worth $28,578,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Rollins in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rollins by 65.9% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 39,200 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,983,000 after acquiring an additional 15,574 shares during the last quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP bought a new position in Rollins during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $755,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Rollins in the third quarter worth $1,428,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Rollins by 11.4% in the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 34,824 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,761,000 after acquiring an additional 3,564 shares during the period. 51.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on ROL. Barclays initiated coverage on Rollins in a research note on Monday, November 4th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Rollins from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Rollins from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $49.83.

Rollins Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE ROL traded up $0.15 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $51.38. The stock had a trading volume of 584,842 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,693,865. The stock has a market cap of $24.88 billion, a PE ratio of 53.38 and a beta of 0.70. Rollins, Inc. has a 1 year low of $39.72 and a 1 year high of $52.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $49.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $48.88.

Rollins (NYSE:ROL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.30 by ($0.01). Rollins had a net margin of 14.18% and a return on equity of 38.67%. The business had revenue of $916.27 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $911.15 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.28 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Rollins, Inc. will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Rollins Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be given a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.28%. This is a positive change from Rollins’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Rollins’s dividend payout ratio is presently 68.75%.

Insider Transactions at Rollins

In other news, insider Elizabeth B. Chandler sold 4,685 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.49, for a total transaction of $236,545.65. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 84,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,274,129.97. The trade was a 5.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Timothy Curtis Rollins sold 14,750 shares of Rollins stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.88, for a total transaction of $735,730.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 124,214 shares in the company, valued at $6,195,794.32. This represents a 10.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 24,120 shares of company stock worth $1,209,993 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 4.69% of the company’s stock.

Rollins Company Profile

Rollins, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides pest and wildlife control services to residential and commercial customers in the United States and internationally. The company offers pest control services to residential properties protecting from common pests, including rodents, insects, and wildlife.